The present invention relates to a technique useful for chemical mechanical polishing technique, which is generally called CMP technique, in a manufacturing method of a semiconductor integrated circuit device (or a semiconductor device).
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-271854 discloses a technique of measuring the flatness, the surface roughness, the elastic modulus, the porosity and other properties of a polishing pad of a CMP machine to use the measured properties to decide the time when the pad is exchanged, or the like.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 11 (1999)-207572 or corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,974 discloses a system of monitoring the abrasion of a polishing pad of a CMP machine with a noncontact sensor while the machine operates, so as to instruct the exchange of the pad, or the like.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 9 (1997)-290363 discloses a method of measuring the height of a polishing pad of a CMP machine, thereby deciding the exchange of the pad.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-079752 discloses a technique of setting an optical sensor and other sensors to a dresser mechanism of a CMP machine to measure the thickness of a polishing pad, and then adjusting the dressing amount on the basis thereon.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 10 (1998)-086056 or corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,244 discloses a system of instructing the time of the exchange of a polishing pad from measurement results of the thickness of the polishing pad before and after a CMP machine performs CMP work.